1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin-sending device which is applied in various types of game machines (such as a xe2x80x9cpachinkoxe2x80x9d type of slot machine called or romanized as xe2x80x9cPatisuroxe2x80x9d and having rotatable reels, and the conventional slot machines and pachinko machines, etc.), various vending machines provided everywhere, automatic money-transfer machines and coin-discrimination machines used for example in banks, or the like, so that coins (including special metal discs called xe2x80x9cmedalsxe2x80x9d and usual coins usable for those machines) inserted in a lump in the machines are each sent one by one sequentially to a predetermined process.
2. Prior Art
A most typical and normal type of coin slot J of the pachinko type of slot machine P is, as disclosed in Examined Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 6-73563 (1994) and as shown in FIG. 40 annexed hereto, provided in the form of a slit-shaped opening into which each of coins M can be put one by one, so that players place coins into the slot one by one by their hands. Inserting coins one by one is troublesome for the players. But coins inserted are received by the machine one by one sequentially and sent to the further stages. Thus, a coin-separation (or discrimination) device S1 for determining true and false coins may be provided purposively at a point on an initial stage in the coin-sending course corresponding to the direction of the pull of gravity and above the coin-payout hopper H.
To mitigate the trouble of players inserting coins one by one, some machines recently given attention use a wide tray W for inserting coins in a lump, so that players can place a number of coins M all together into the machine at a time. The lump-insertion tray W exemplified in FIG. 40 showing the aforesaid Japanese publication is used jointly together with the coin slot J that is for inserting coins one by one. Coins M inserted in a lump from the wide tray W need to be first lined and sent one by one sequentially by a coin-sending device F, which provided below the wide tray W in the direction of the pull of gravity, to a coin-separation (or discrimination) device S2 disposed under the coin-sending device F in the direction of the pull of gravity and above the coin-payout hopper H.
In FIG. 40, K designates a panel for the rotatable reels, R a switches-mounting part, S a control switch for driving the coin-sending device, O a coin payout/return opening, E a payout tray, and N1 a coin-sensor disposed under the coin slot J (one-by-one insertion) and N2 a coin-sensor on a coin-passage extended from the coin-sending device F.
In the feature having the lump-insertion tray W, the coin-sending device F is to be additionally provided with respect to the coin-separation device S2. An additional space for installation of the device is to be given or held in the direction of height correspondingly to a drop or fall between the coin-inlet and coin-outlet on the coin-sending device. Hence, the resulting problem is that the lump-insertion tray W is to be formed higher in position than the coin slot J, i.e., at the upper part of the reels panel K. This is because receiving, paying out and separating coins are performed by use of gravity and a drop or fall from the inlet of the coin-insertion part W to the coin-payout hopper H is to be fully ensured so as to enable coins to sequentially flow smoothly in the machine from the upper part to the lower part. Hence, it is not easy but troublesome for players sitting on the seats in front of the game machines to place coins in the lump-insertion tray W, and this countermeasure for mitigating the trouble of players inserting coins one by one becomes useless or futile.
It is possible to provide the lump-insertion tray W at the same height as the coin slot J that is for inserting coins one by one, as shown in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 2-57284 (1990). In this case, a drop from the lump-insertion tray W to the coin-payout hopper H cannot be sufficiently obtained, leading to such separate problems that the coin-passage is stopped up or jammed by coins and a coin-reservoir bucket in the coin-payout hopper H is to be reduced in size.
An object of the present invention is to provide a coin-sending device wherein a height difference between an inlet and an outlet of a mechanism for sending coins (inserted in a lump) one by one sequentialy can be made smaller and limitation of usable spaces for installing the device to various equipments and apparatuses can be mitigated.
The invention disclosed in claim 1 is directed to a coin-sending device provided with a rotary disc C3 for sequentially sending to a second-side passage C2 coins received from a coins-lump insertion part into a first-side reservoir C1, wherein the rotary disc C3 is set in a posture of slanted forwards downwards with the first-side reservoir C1 facing the coins-lump insertion part, and an outlet C202 of the second-side passage C2 is open at a part slanted backwards upwards, as exemplified in FIG. 17, in order to achieve the aforesaid object.
The invention disclosed in claim 2 does, for making further smaller the sizes in the direction of height and enabling ensured discriminating true and false coins, provide a coin-separation part C4 on an uphill C204 on the second-side passage, which coin-separation part C4 discriminates true and false coins and causes false coins to be removed from the coin-passage, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 21.
The invention disclosed in claim 3 does, for further improving discrimitating process by the coin-separation part C4, provide at an inlet of the coin-separation part C4 a behaviour stabilization means C5 for stabilizing behaviour of coins entering the coin-separation part C4, as shown in FIG. 28.
The invention disclosed in claim 4 does, for excellently correcting an over-storing state of coins in the first-side reservoir C1, provide above the first-side reservoir C1 an overflow guide C6 for causing excessively stored coins to overflow to the front side slanted forwards downwards, as shown in FIG. 17.
The invention disclosed in claim 5 does, for smoothly discharging the overflowed coins, cause an outlet of the overflow guide C6 to communicate with a most upstream side of a cancel chute 92 communicating a coin-return opening as shown in FIG. 17.
The invention disclosed in claim 6 does, for making excellent the discharging structure for false coins, provide a removal passage C40 for false coins discriminated by the coin-separation part C4 which removal passage C40 extends forwards along the back of the rotary disc C3 as shown in FIG. 17.
The invention disclosed in claim 7 does, for economically structuring a discharging system for false coins, cause the removal passage C40 to communicate with an intermediate part of the cancel chute 92 communicating the coin-return opening as shown in FIG. 17.
The invention disclosed in claim 8 does, for enabling users to grasp from the outside the state of storing coins, provide at the side of the coins-lump insertion part A an observation window 93 for enabling observing the inside of the first-side reservoir C1 as shown in FIG. 3.
The invention disclosed in claim 9 does, for enabling users to precisely grasp from the outside the state of storing coins, provide a mirror C7 for enabling users to watch through the observation window 93 a blind spot in the first-side reservoir C1 as shown in FIG. 3.
The invention disclosed in claim 10 does, for changing the state of coins stored in the first-side reservoir C1 to allow coins to be smoothly taken to the rotary disc C3 provide at the first-side reservoir C1 an assist means C8 which interferes coins in the first-side reservoir C1 to assist coins for their being taken to the rotary disc C3, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 23.
The invention disclosed in claim 11 does, for making excellent the assist means C8, employ the assist means C8 made of an elastic material as shown in FIG. 23.
The invention disclosed in claim 12 does, for making further smooth taking coins to the rotary disc C3, dispose the assist means C8 at the back of the first-side reservoir C1 as shown in FIG. 17.
Next, functional effects of those inventions will be detailed.
In the invention disclosed in claim 1, as shown in FIG. 17, coins inserted through the coins-lump insertion part are excellently received in the first-side reservoir C1 facing the lump insertion part. Coins in the reservoir C1 are sequentially sent by the rotary disc C3 set slantwise as extending forwards downwards and then taken from the outlet C202 on the second-side passage C2 which outlet opens at a part extending backwards upwards. Hence, the coin-outlet can be set at a higher position, thereby eliminating necessity of holding a large drop between the inlet and outlet sides of the coin-sending device as conventionally, whereby mitigating limitation in spaces for installation into various equipments and apparatuses, and reducing enlargeness and complication in structures.
According to the invention disclosed in claim 2, as seen FIG. 21, the coin-separation part C4 is formed at the uphill C204 on the second-side passage C2 so that coins are moved over the uphill against gravity to be discriminated. The feature of moving coins (to be discriminated) against gravity to reduce the force of coins while being discriminated can achieve sure discrimination. Discrimination of coins as well as sending coins can be performed at a single location mounting the rotary disc C3, so that there is no need of provision of an additional coin-separator at the outside, while sizes in the direction of height can be made further smaller.
In the invention disclosed in claim 3, as shown in FIG. 28, the behavior stabilization means C5 restrains unstableness of coins that coins when enter the coin-separation part C4 tend to change and become unstable in behaviour, whereby facilitating discrimination of coins.
According to the invention disclosed in claim 4, as seen in FIG. 17, in addition to the feature of rotary disc C3 extending forwards downwards, the overflow guide C6 is formed above the first-side reservoir C1 to cause excessively stored coins to overflow to the front side extending forwards downwards, thereby excellently discharging the excessively stored coins to finely correct the coin-storing state in the first-side reservoir C1.
In the invention disclosed in claim 5, as shown in FIG. 17, the overflowing coins flow into the most upstream part of the cancel chute 92 when a number of coins overflow from the overflow guide C6 at a time, so that the coins are not hindered of flowing into the cancel chute 92 by others flowing in the same chute, thereby enabling the coins to be smoothly discharged.
In the invention disclosed in claim 6, as shown in FIG. 17, in addition to the feature of rotary disc C3 extending forwards downwards, the removal passage C40 for false coins extends forwards along the back of the rotary disc C3, so that spaces for installation of the removal passage C40 can be held effectively.
According to the invention disclosed in claim 7, as seen in FIG. 17, false coins discharged from the removal passage C40 are previously subjected to sequential sending by the rotary disc C3, so that the number of discharging per unit time is relatively small even if the whole of sent coins are false coins extremely. Hence, discharging false coins to the middle part of the cancel chute 92 is almost not hindered by other discharged things and thereby there is no need to provide an additional chute exclusively used for false coins, thereby enabling false coins to be discharged economically.
In the invention disclosed in claim 8, as shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the feature of rotary disc C3 extending forwards downwards, the observation window 93 enables users to finely watch the inside of the first-side reservoir C1 and generally grasp the storing state of coins from the outside.
According to the invention disclosed in claim 9, as shown in FIG. 3, the mirror C7 enables users to watch through the observation window 93 a blind spot in the first-side reservoir C1, thereby allowing users to precisely grasp from the outside the state of stored coins.
According to the invention disclosed in claim 10, as seen in FIG. 17, coins placed in the first-side reservoir C1 interfere the assist means C8 following rotation of the rotary disc C3, so that coins are properly handled and changed in posture for being taken by the rotary disc C3, and piles of coins are broken to a point before interfering with the assist means C8 in the direction of rotation of rotary disc C3 to form thereafter piles of small number of coins. Accordingly, coins in the reservoir C1 can be changed of their state and smoothly taken to the rotary disc C3, thereby excellently performing the sending process of coins.
In the invention disclosed in claim 11, as shown in FIG. 23, the assist means C8 is made of an elastic material and can flexibly handle the coins stored in the first-side reservoir C1, and prevent coins from clogging or being caught at the assist means C8, thereby carrying out a fine performing.
In the invention disclosed in claim 12, as shown in FIG. 17, in addition to the rotary disc C3 extending forwards downwards, the assist means C8 is formed at the back of the first-side reservoir C1, so that taking coins can be assisted at the rear part of the rotary disc where coins pile relatively low in comparison with the front side, thereby further making smooth taking of coins to the rotary disc C3.